Aiedail
by FarmerRosie
Summary: Eragon is not alone on his journey as a Dragon Rider. His friend, Marina, tags along and helps him through his struggles. But Marina has a dark past of her own. Will it get in the way as they prepare to take down Galbatorix? Murtagh x OC


**This story is Rated T, but there will be some blood and gore and mild language. Nothing worse than the books really, so if you were fine with the books, you should be fine with this.**

**The song is not mine, but it's what I remember from a song we sang in grade school.**

**I do not own the Inheritance cycle. **

**And remember, I'm always open to ways I could improve!**

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"Little girl who tends the sheep

Brings them to the field to sleep

Little lambs are bouncing by

To their mother's bleating cry

Underneath a moonlit sky."

A little girl of about four bounced up and down gleefully on a stool as her mother sang to her. When the song finished the girl clapped.

"Again mama, again!"

Her locks of brown hair caught the light from the sun pouring through the window. For a moment, it shown golden.

"Not now my sunshine. Mommy needs to start cooking supper. Daddy is going to be hungry when he comes home."

The girl was disappointed, but she enjoyed watching her mother chop vegetables and helped her however she could. Not long after her mother placed the stew over the fire, her father walked through the door.

"Daddy, daddy!" she cried and ran into his arms. He scooped her up in a hug.

"There's my princess! How was your day?"

"Good! We picked flowers for you!" she led him over to the table where flowers of every color were sitting in a bowl of water.

"My these are pretty flowers. Almost as pretty as you!" He tapped the end of her nose and the girl giggled. Standing up, he turned to his wife,

"Something smells wonderful," he declared.

"I'm making your favorite, beef stew. I hope you're hungry!"

"I sure am. And how is the little one doing?" he asked placing a hand over his wife's stomach which was starting to stick out a little more than usual.

"He's been kicking all day!"

The man smiled at her, "It's a boy now is it?"

Her face reflected his, "Yes, I have a feeling it is."

He turned to his daughter who was standing silently in the corner, observing the conversation.

"Marina, what do you think we should name your new baby brother?"

She thought about it for a moment, then said, "Baby brother!"

Her parents chuckled, "That's a good idea. We'll have to think about it some more."

Right about then, they noticed an eerie silence had crept into the room. Something didn't feel normal. The girl's father opened his mouth to comment on the sudden change, but he was cut off by a blood curdling scream. In three quick bounds he was at the door. He threw it open only to immediately slam it closed again.

"Selma! Grab Marina and get out of here!"

He turned to grab his hammer, but before his fingers could even graze the cold wooden handle, the door was broken down by a man in black armor carrying a torch. His eyes fell on the family and an inhuman laugh flowed freely past his lips that were curled back over his teeth. He tossed the torch on a pile of cloth nearby which caught on fire and spread fast.

Thinking quickly, the little girl's father upturned the wooden table in front of him, creating a temporary barrier between them and the intruder.

"Go!" he screamed at his wife and daughter, "Out the back door!"

The woman didn't hesitate. She swooped her daughter up in her arms and made her way to the back of the house. She paused one last time at the back door and looked back to see her husband in battle with the armored man. The young man made eye contact with her as he struggled to blow a blow from his attacker.

"Go!"

And she did. She raced up the street to the edge of the village and into the woods without paying attention to the chaos taking place all around her.

She didn't go far into the woods, but stopped at the base of a large tree, her daughter still in her arms. The woman set the girl down by the tree and signaled for her to be very quiet. Then she crept forward and parted the branches that blocked them from the village.

The sight that met her took her breath away. Several of the buildings were now in flames. Many more of the men in armor were chasing away the women and children and fighting off the men that tried to defend their village. They were killing anyone they could.

She moved to get a better footing and a twig snapped. The sound was small, but a soldier that was walking by stopped and turned his attention toward it. The young woman held back a gasp. She waited for what seemed like hours. The man cautiously took a couple steps toward their hiding place.

She suddenly turned back to her daughter and spoke in a hurried whisper.

"Marina, listen to mommy darling. Mommy has to go do something and I need you to stay here. Can you do that for me? Stay here and do not make a sound. And no matter what happens Marina, do not leave this hiding place. It's like we're playing hid and seek. Do you understand what I need you to do?"

The little girl, seeing the fear in her mother's eyes, nodded her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Her mother nodded in return. Then she leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Remember that mommy and daddy love you and we always will."

With that, the little girl's mother soundlessly moved away from the tree. Once she was a good distance away, she sprinted out from the shelter of the trees and back into the village. Her plan worked in distracting the soldier from his previous intentions. He caught sight of her and pursued. The woman was fast, but unfortunately she was outnumbered when two more soldiers joined the chase. They soon had her cornered against a building. The first soldier stepped forward with a crazed look in his eyes. He lifted the ax above his head…

From her spot by the base of the tree, the little girl could see everything that was happening. She closed her eyes tightly, but nothing would be able to block out her mother's final scream as it echoed through her head.

The girl kept her eyes closed for several minutes. When she finally opened them again, there was barely anything left to see.

All the buildings in her village were gone, left in piles of wood that was burning away. Dead bodies of people and animals were strewn about and the remaining soldiers walked through all the devastation, their blades turned crimson by innocent blood.

As her young eyes took in the gore around her, the armored men assembled by the opposite end of the village and marched down the road as it nothing had happened.

The girl remained in her position for hours before standing up and coming out form behind the bush. The smoldering embers reflected in her eyes began to fade. Then, she quietly turned around and walked into the mountains.


End file.
